


A Song I Won't Forget After I Wake

by Jaela



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: F/F, Love Confessions, MIXTAPE (except we live in the future so it's actually a playlist lmao), Sleepovers, i love girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 13:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12036426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaela/pseuds/Jaela
Summary: Hanayo can say what she needs to say through music.





	A Song I Won't Forget After I Wake

**Author's Note:**

> Shiptember, Day 8! This is (Maki)RinPana. Er, primarily RinPana with hints of Maki. Who does not actually appear, despite being my Best Girl. The girls who DO appear are also perfect. I love these perfect girls. I think Hanayo and Rin have this potentially to really get carried away together and I... CLUTCHES CHEST, I really love that a lot.
> 
> I'm bad at titles. I know this one is too wordy. It's an approximate translation of a line from "For You" by Rie fu, which I adore and recommend highly.
> 
> Originally written for SASO2106's Bonus Round 2, for this prompt over here! https://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/13854.html?thread=4949022#cmt4949022

“It’s lonely without Maki-chan,” Rin mumbles, one cheek smooshed up against Hanayo’s shoulder.

“It really is…” Hanayo is proud of Maki, truly! She was asked to play piano at a  _wedding_  of all things, for real money, like a real professional! Hanayo just wishes she could  _see_  it. Rin had begged to go as Maki’s date—better yet, she and Hanayo could  _both_  be Maki’s dates!—but Maki had insisted that it was impossible, she wasn’t bringing a date. Let alone two. She will be there to work, and even her family isn’t coming.

Hanayo wonders how she’s going to get pictures, if that’s the case.

“Kayo-chiiiiin… let’s go somewhere after practice?”

Hanayo smiles and leans her head against Rin’s. “Yeah. That sounds nice.”

Rin spends the afternoon glued to Hanayo’s side, swiping food off her plate but then treating her to crepes later (without actually saying it’s to make up for earlier, but Hanayo understands). They play a gachapon and both get matching ruby-red star keychains, which stills the mood a little. It’s hard on both of them, having one of their number conspicuously absent. But it presents a different challenge to Hanayo, too—never more evident than when Rin clings to her with both arms wrapped around one of hers. Usually, when Maki is there, Rin’s affection is distributed more evenly. Today, Hanayo has the full force of it, which is like... a full buffet of assorted onigiri, or a library for idol photo books. It’s almost  _too much_  of a good thing, and Hanayo doesn’t know how to handle it. She doesn’t know how to turn away either, though.

“Rin-chan, would you, um?”

“Hmmmmm?” Rin leans up against her, which makes matters more dire.

“Would you like to stay over at my house tonight?” She blurts it out frantically, her voice squeaking on the end of the question. She balls up her fists and pants quietly.

“Of  _course!_ ” Rin presses her cheek against Hanayo’s. Hanayo can feel it when she grins. “Sleepover, sleepover!”

Rin is so warm. Hanayo is in way over her head.

 

\--

 

After dinner, Rin flips through magazines while Hanayo taps away at her computer, keeping up to date on the blogs of other groups and downloading sample tracks from favorite pro idols. When she drags the files into her music program, Rin happens to be peering over her shoulder.

“Why is there a playlist with my name on it?”

Hanayo cries out and very nearly topples over sideways. “Don’t look!” she shrills.

“Eh? But it’s  _my name,_ ” Rin says, trying to reach the touchpad.

“I-it’s not finished yet,” Hanayo insists breathlessly.

“ _What’s_  not finished, though?” Rin is wrapping her arms around Hanayo’s middle now.

“It’s…” Hanayo gulps. “It’s a playlist of… songs that remind me of you.”

Rin gasps and squeezes Hanayo tight. “Of  _me?!_  Kaaaaayo-chin!!”

“B-but it’s—!”

“When will it be done, when, when??”

“U-um…!” Hanayo blushes bright. “Wh-why don’t you take a bath first and… by the time you’re finished, I’ll have it ready!”

“Yay!” Rin raises her arms in victory and gathers her things.

While Rin bathes (humming cheerfully to herself—Hanayo can hear it faintly through the walls—) Hanayo puts on her headphones and concentrates. Rin is a very particular type of music. She is enduring cheer that wraps all around, spreading security and love. Hanayo has the right songs in her heart already, if she pays attention; she just has to listen back over a few tracks for confirmation, to make sure they’re just right. And then, the order is important, too. A good playlist needs to climb to its highest point, and then flow easily back out so the listener can return seamlessly to their life, but bring some new feeling along with them. At the same time, it shouldn’t be too predictable. A few well-placed swells and surprises will keep it from getting boring.

Before Rin returns, Hanayo is already pretty sure she has it 100% perfect. She’s just listening through the last transition when Rin throws the door open, hair damp, smelling like flowers.

“Your turn, your turn!” She prances over to the bed and climbs up behind Hanayo, slipping the headphones off for her. “I wanna seeee!”

Hanayo shuts the laptop partway, and smiles softly. “Would you mind if—don’t look at the track list, okay? Just, if it’s okay…” She scoots aside, puts the laptop down on the bedspread, and guides Rin’s hands so that the headphones fit over her ears snugly. “Just listen?”

“Roger!” Rin salutes, and Hanayo nods and keys the playlist back to the beginning.

“I’ll go take my bath now, okay? I’ll be back.” She presses play and flees the room as fast as her feet will carry her.

When she comes back in with damp skin and a guest futon tucked under her arm, Hanayo sees Rin nodding her head slowly in time to the beat, eyes closed, face relaxed. Hanayo closes the door as softly as she can so as not to disturb her. It’s a little embarrassing that Rin is so focused, taking this so deeply seriously, but it also makes Hanayo feel giddy and floaty.

She tiptoes around the room, straightening up a little, laying out the futon, and retrieving her secret stash of late night snacks from behind the bookshelf. When that’s all done, Rin’s eyes are still closed, and she’s mouthing along to something she must recognize. Hanayo wavers, rocking back and forth from one foot to the other, and finally settles down on the futon within reach of the snacks, back to Rin so she won’t be tempted to stare and obsess over what Rin might be feeling.

She hardly has time to get comfortable, though, before she hears a gasp from behind her. She doesn’t even get a chance to react, and suddenly Rin is tackling Hanayo and burying her face in her hair.

“Kayo-chin, you’re amazing!” Rin’s voice is muffled and brimming over with emotion. “Is that really how you feel? Really and for real and  _really?_ ”

“A-ah, um!” Hanayo tries to peek over her shoulder to get a look at Rin, who still has the headphones around her neck, cord trailing behind—they must have pulled out of the computer which is now balanced precariously on the edge of the bed, but Hanayo can’t bring herself to mind too much with Rin’s weight pressed up against her, Rin’s smell enveloping her in the same safe feeling she’d been looking for in each song. “Did you really finish it already?”

“Nuh uh, but I’m already so happy! I didn’t notice you were back but I almost wanted to go get you, and squeeeeeze you because I love you so much!”

“Rin-chan!” Hanayo is breathless, because Rin is so happy and because Hanayo’s lungs don’t have much room to breathe like this and because Rin kind of just implied that she was tempted to go pull Hanayo out of the bath, fully naked. It’s a lot.

“It’s the same for you, isn’t it? Is it the same? Kayo-chin, these are all love songs!”

Hanayo wants to get the words out, she really does, but she can only manage to nod and hum in affirmation. “P-please finish listening, there’s more I wanted to, um…!”

“Sorry, sorry, Kayo-chin, I know you said not to but after the fourth one I couldn’t anymore and I looked! So, let’s listen to it together now.” Rin scrambles to her feet and presses play, so the speakers fill the room with her music.

Hanayo gets up on her knees, and Rin meets her on the floor again.

“The last track,” Hanayo tells her in a wavering voice, “is one that Maki-chan said she was playing at the reception. I-I thought, maybe someday…”

“Hmm?” Rin says, because Hanayo is bright red and seems to be having trouble getting it out.

“S-someday, maybe she could play it again! For… for us!”

Rin puts her hands on Hanayo’s knees and leans in until their noses are touching. “Does that mean you’ll be my bride?”

Hanayo bites her lip, tears springing to her eyes. She gulps hard, and says it this time.

“I love you, Rin-chan!”

And Rin answers her with a kiss.


End file.
